Skip to content

Clinical Trial of Tolcapone for Cognition in Schizophrenia

Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo Controlled Study of the Effects of Tolcapone and Entacapone on Cognitive Function in Patients With Schizophrenia and Normal Controls Based on COMT Genotype

Status
Terminated
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00044083
Enrollment
210
Registered
2002-08-19
Start date
2002-08-31
Completion date
2015-12-31
Last updated
2018-09-27

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Schizophrenia

Keywords

Catecholamines, Dopamine, Clinical Trial, fMRI, PFC, Vitamin B2, Riboflavin, Tolcapone, Placebo, Normal Volunteers, Schizophrenia, Healthy Volunteers, HV

Brief summary

This study will evaluate whether Tolcapone improves cognition in healthy volunteers as well as patients with schizophrenia. Talcapone is a drug that has been FDA approved for Attention Deficit Disorder and allegedly increase the amount of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the frontal cortex of the brain. ...

Detailed description

Psychopharmacological modulation of the catecholaminergic system can enhance some aspects of cognitive function. For example, COMT inhibitors can slightly improve working memory/executive function. Differences in the response between individuals might be related to a number of factors, including variations in the genes. The recent finding that a polymorphism in the catechol-o-methyl-transferase (COMT) gene, which produces a 4 fold change in enzyme activity, accounts for 4 percent of the variance in performance of working memory tasks in humans suggest that COMT genotype may predict response to COMT inhibitors. In the present investigation our goal is to examine, in normal controls and patients with schizophrenia, the effect of a centrally acting (tolcapone) and of a peripherally acting (entacapone) COMT inhibitor on cognitive function. We predict that both normal controls and patients with schizophrenia with the val/val genotype will have a significant, though transient, improvement in working memory in subjects treated with tolcapone but not in those treated with entacapone. Furthermore, in conjunction with other NIMH imaging protocols, we would like to examine the neurophysiological correlates related to working memory. We predict, in tolcapone treated subjects, improved measures in prefrontal 'efficiency' in subjects and patients specifically with the val/val genotype. The present protocol will provide new insights on the importance of this genetic polymorphism in the regulation of aminergic-controlled cognitive function in normal individuals. Furthermore, this protocol will test whether COMT inhibitors offer a new treatment-based on genotype - for cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. No IND is required for the present study.

Interventions

OTHERPlacebo

Placebo: One capsule 3 times a day from Day 1 to Day 7

DRUGTolcapone

Tolcapone: One capsule 3 times a day from Day 1 to Day 7

Sponsors

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Lead SponsorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 50 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Prior participation under NIH protocol number 95-M-0150, or new normal volunteers or schizophrenic patients that meet criteria for NIH protocol number 95-M-0150 (NCT00001486). 2. No Axis I or Axis II diagnosis in normal volunteers. 3. Age range: 18-50 years.

Exclusion criteria

1. Normal volunteers with an Axis I or Axis II disorder obtained either from prior SCID interview in Protocol 95-M-0150 or through a screening interview will be excluded. 2. Subjects with a history of cardiovascular disease, liver disease and other medical illnesses, and untreated or uncontrolled hypertension will be excluded. An electrocardiogram, blood pressure, pulse rate and metabolic panel including LFTs will be checked on all subjects prior to participation in the study. Individuals with persistent tardive dyskinesia or abnormal LFTs, or individuals with significant history of alcoholism or liver enzyme elevation will be excluded from the study. 3. Schizophrenic patients taking clozapine, a COMT inhibitor, any illicit drugs of abuse, or MAO inhibitors will be excluded. 4. Normal control subjects taking any medications other than occasional NSAI will be excluded. 5. Pregnant women. Women of childbearing potential will undergo a urine pregnancy test the day the study initiates and screened by history for the possibility of pregnancy.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
N-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With SchizophreniaAt end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)Activation beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) extracted from DLPFC from the contrast maps in Patients with schizophrenia. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.
N-Back Task PerformanceAt end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)Working Memory was measured in HVs and patients with schizophrenia after a 7-day treatment with Tolcapone or placebo in a double-blind, cross-over fashion. The working memory was quantified by taking the number of trials entered correctly divided by the total number of trials multiplied by 100. Values range from 0 to 100. Zero indicates the poorest performance while 100 indicates perfect performance.
N-Back Task Activation Diagnosis EffectAt end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)Activation beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) were extracted within the Main Effect of Diagnosis cluster around the peak (p \< 0.05 uncorrected) from the contrast maps in the Placebo condition. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.
N-Back Task Activation Drug EffectAt end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)Activation beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) extracted within the Main Effect of Drug cluster around the peak (p \< 0.05 uncorrected) from the contrast maps across both groups. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.
N-Back Task Activation in DLPFC in Patients With SchizophreniaAt end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)Activation Beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) extracted within the Effect of Drug cluster around the peak (p \< 0.05 uncorrected) from the contrast maps in patients with schizophrenia. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.
N-Back Task Activation in Healthy VolunteersAt end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)Activation Beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) extracted within the Effect of Drug cluster around the peak (p \< 0.05 uncorrected) from the contrast maps in Healthy Volunteers. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.
N-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersAt end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)Activation beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) extracted within the Effect of Genotype cluster around the peak (p \< 0.05 uncorrected) in right and left DLPFC from the contrast maps in Healthy Volunteers. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Positive and Negative Syndrome ScaleAt end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)Rating Scales PANSS. The Positive Scale ranges for 7 to 49 with a higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms. The Negative Scale ranges for 7 to 49 with a higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms. The General Scale ranges from 16 to 112, the higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

Patients with schizophrenia were recruited through families, physicians and community organizations. Healthy volunteers were recruited through the NIH Normal Volunteers Office. Subjects first participated in Protocol # 95-M-0150 to obtain genotype data. If eligible after the study, they were invited to participate in the Tolcapone protocol.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Healthy Volunteers
Tolcapone 200 mg 1 week:Wash Out 1 week:Placebo 1 week: (or vice versa)
130
Patients
Tolcapone 200 mg 1 week:Wash Out 1 week:Placebo 1 week: (or vice versa)
59
Total189

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
First Intervention (One Week)- HV'sAbnormal MRI01
First Intervention (One Week)- HV'sAdverse Event10
First Intervention (One Week)- HV'sDrank while on protocol01
First Intervention (One Week)- HV'sNot follow directions22
First Intervention (One Week)- HV'sPregnancy10
First Intervention (One Week)- HV'sUsed illegal drugs10
First Intervention (One Week)- HV'sWithdrawal by Subject53
First Intervention (One Week) PatientsNot follow directions02
First Intervention (One Week) PatientsUsed illegal drug10
Second Intervention (One Week) PatientsWithdrawal by Subject01

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicPatientsHealthy VolunteersTotal
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
59 Participants130 Participants189 Participants
Age, Continuous26.9 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.8
34.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.1
32.1 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.1
Region of Enrollment
United States
59 participants130 participants189 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
18 Participants59 Participants77 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
41 Participants71 Participants112 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
EG002
affected / at risk
EG003
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 1310 / 1310 / 590 / 60
other
Total, other adverse events
25 / 13129 / 13117 / 5922 / 60
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 1310 / 1310 / 590 / 60

Outcome results

Primary

N-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophrenia

Activation beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) extracted from DLPFC from the contrast maps in Patients with schizophrenia. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.

Time frame: At end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)

Population: 33 patients with schizophrenia

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophrenialeft DLPFC0.28 beta valueStandard Error 0.04
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophreniaright DLPFC0.33 beta valueStandard Error 0.05
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophreniaright DLPFC0.23 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophrenialeft DLPFC0.24 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Patient on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophreniaright DLPFC0.24 beta valueStandard Error 0.04
Patient on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophrenialeft DLPFC0.21 beta valueStandard Error 0.04
Patients on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophreniaright DLPFC0.25 beta valueStandard Error 0.05
Patients on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophrenialeft DLPFC0.18 beta valueStandard Error 0.05
Healthy Volunteer COMT Val/Met Genotype on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophreniaright DLPFC0.20 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer COMT Val/Met Genotype on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophrenialeft DLPFC0.26 beta valueStandard Error 0.04
Healthy Volunteer COMT Met/Met Genotype on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophreniaright DLPFC0.22 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer COMT Met/Met Genotype on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation by Genotype in Patients With Schizophrenialeft DLPFC0.17 beta valueStandard Error 0.04
p-value: 0.189ANOVA
p-value: 0.041t-test, 1 sided
p-value: 0.718t-test, 1 sided
p-value: 0.469t-test, 1 sided
Primary

N-Back Task Activation Diagnosis Effect

Activation beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) were extracted within the Main Effect of Diagnosis cluster around the peak (p \< 0.05 uncorrected) from the contrast maps in the Placebo condition. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.

Time frame: At end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)

Population: 74 Healthy Volunteers and 33 Patients with Schizophrenia

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation Diagnosis EffectRight DLPFC0.15 beta valueStandard Error 0.02
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation Diagnosis EffectLeft DLPFC0.18 beta valueStandard Error 0.02
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Diagnosis EffectRight DLPFC0.20 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Diagnosis EffectLeft DLPFC0.23 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
p-value: <0.0001ANOVA
p-value: 0.014ANOVA
Primary

N-Back Task Activation Drug Effect

Activation beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) extracted within the Main Effect of Drug cluster around the peak (p \< 0.05 uncorrected) from the contrast maps across both groups. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.

Time frame: At end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)

Population: 74 Healthy Volunteers and 33 Patients with Schizophrenia

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation Drug EffectRight DLPFC0.09 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation Drug EffectLeft DLPFC0.27 beta valueStandard Error 0.04
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Drug EffectLeft DLPFC0.25 beta valueStandard Error 0.04
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Drug EffectRight DLPFC0.11 beta valueStandard Error 0.02
Patient on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation Drug EffectRight DLPFC0.12 beta valueStandard Error 0.04
Patient on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation Drug EffectLeft DLPFC0.23 beta valueStandard Error 0.05
Patients on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Drug EffectRight DLPFC0.07 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Patients on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Drug EffectLeft DLPFC0.09 beta valueStandard Error 0.06
p-value: 0.05ANOVA
p-value: 0.32ANOVA
Primary

N-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy Volunteers

Activation beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) extracted within the Effect of Genotype cluster around the peak (p \< 0.05 uncorrected) in right and left DLPFC from the contrast maps in Healthy Volunteers. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.

Time frame: At end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersRight DLPFC0.22 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersLeft DLPFC0.14 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersRight DLPFC0.23 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersLeft DLPFC0.19 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Patient on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersRight DLPFC0.14 beta valueStandard Error 0.04
Patient on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersLeft DLPFC0.10 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Patients on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersRight DLPFC0.22 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Patients on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersLeft DLPFC0.14 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer COMT Val/Met Genotype on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersRight DLPFC0.25 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer COMT Val/Met Genotype on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersLeft DLPFC0.18 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer COMT Met/Met Genotype on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersRight DLPFC0.15 beta valueStandard Error 0.04
Healthy Volunteer COMT Met/Met Genotype on TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation Genotype Effect in Healthy VolunteersLeft DLPFC0.09 beta valueStandard Error 0.04
p-value: <0.0001ANOVA
p-value: 0.167ANOVA
Primary

N-Back Task Activation in DLPFC in Patients With Schizophrenia

Activation Beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) extracted within the Effect of Drug cluster around the peak (p \< 0.05 uncorrected) from the contrast maps in patients with schizophrenia. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.

Time frame: At end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)

Population: 33 Patients with Schizophrenia

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation in DLPFC in Patients With SchizophreniaRight DLPFC0.26 beta valueStandard Error 0.02
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation in DLPFC in Patients With SchizophreniaLeft DLPFC0.25 beta valueStandard Error 0.02
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation in DLPFC in Patients With SchizophreniaRight DLPFC0.24 beta valueStandard Error 0.018
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation in DLPFC in Patients With SchizophreniaLeft DLPFC0.23 beta valueStandard Error 0.02
p-value: 0.05t-test, 1 sided
p-value: 0.078t-test, 1 sided
Primary

N-Back Task Activation in Healthy Volunteers

Activation Beta values (N-Back vs. 0-Back) extracted within the Effect of Drug cluster around the peak (p \< 0.05 uncorrected) from the contrast maps in Healthy Volunteers. Lower beta values reflect more efficient processing in the DLPFC when performing working memory tasks.

Time frame: At end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)

Population: 74 Healthy Volunteers

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation in Healthy VolunteersRight DLPFC0.09 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Activation in Healthy VolunteersLeft DLPFC0.38 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation in Healthy VolunteersRight DLPFC0.11 beta valueStandard Error 0.02
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Activation in Healthy VolunteersLeft DLPFC0.36 beta valueStandard Error 0.03
p-value: 0.05t-test, 1 sided
p-value: 0.73t-test, 1 sided
Primary

N-Back Task Performance

Working Memory was measured in HVs and patients with schizophrenia after a 7-day treatment with Tolcapone or placebo in a double-blind, cross-over fashion. The working memory was quantified by taking the number of trials entered correctly divided by the total number of trials multiplied by 100. Values range from 0 to 100. Zero indicates the poorest performance while 100 indicates perfect performance.

Time frame: At end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)

Population: 147 HV's recruited, 8 left after signing consents, 8 excluded for other reasons, 57 excluded for excessive motion, inferior quality or not completion. 63 patients recruited, 4 removed for different reasons, 26 excluded from image analyses for not completing the second phase of the study, excessive motion or bad image quality.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboN-Back Task Performance86.10 % of Correct TrialsStandard Error 1.13
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponeN-Back Task Performance85.50 % of Correct TrialsStandard Error 1.1
Patient on PlaceboN-Back Task Performance76.21 % of Correct TrialsStandard Error 2.31
Patients on TolcaponeN-Back Task Performance80.94 % of Correct TrialsStandard Error 1.9
p-value: <0.0001ANOVA
p-value: 0.0034ANOVA
Secondary

Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale

Rating Scales PANSS. The Positive Scale ranges for 7 to 49 with a higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms. The Negative Scale ranges for 7 to 49 with a higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms. The General Scale ranges from 16 to 112, the higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms.

Time frame: At end of treatment period (at 7th day for first intervention and at 21st day for second intervention)

Population: There were 74 Healthy Volunteers and 33 Patients with Schizophrenia

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboPositive and Negative Syndrome ScalePositive Subscale7.01 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.01
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboPositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleGeneral Psychopathology16.36 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.1
Healthy Volunteer on PlaceboPositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleNegative Subscale7.36 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.14
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponePositive and Negative Syndrome ScalePositive Subscale7.02 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.03
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponePositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleGeneral Psychopathology16.33 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.09
Healthy Volunteer TolcaponePositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleNegative Subscale7.27 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.13
Patient on PlaceboPositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleNegative Subscale16.51 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 1
Patient on PlaceboPositive and Negative Syndrome ScalePositive Subscale12.15 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.51
Patient on PlaceboPositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleGeneral Psychopathology27.12 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.78
Patients on TolcaponePositive and Negative Syndrome ScalePositive Subscale12 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.54
Patients on TolcaponePositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleGeneral Psychopathology26.24 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.84
Patients on TolcaponePositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleNegative Subscale15.88 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 1.02
p-value: 0.7t-test, 1 sided
p-value: 0.4t-test, 1 sided
p-value: 0.12t-test, 1 sided

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 23, 2026